THE ROLE OF THE LECTURER IN FORMING STUDENTS' ISLAMIC CHARACTER

ABSTRACT


INTRODUCTION
The development of science and technology is currently accelerating.This requires all parties to follow it.Increasingly fierce global competition also has a big influence on all the arts of life (Ibrahim, Badaruddin, et al., 2023).Education is one of the main foundations in forming individual character.Education is the right forum for forming strong character and correct morals.Character education is an important aspect in the world of education which aims to shape a person into a quality, noble and responsible individual, especially at UIN Raden Fatah Palembang.
"In accordance with the vision, mission and objectives of the Raden Fatah Palembang State Islamic University, namely to become a university with international standards, national insight and Islamic character."The mission is; Developing Tri Dharma activities that are in line with advances in science and technology, relevant to the needs of the nation, and based on an integralistic Islamic scientific tradition and developing an academic tradition that is universal, honest, impartial and responsible.Producing scholars and academic communities dedicated to quality, diversity and scholarship.
Instilling knowledge of religious and moral values is an urgent provision for children (Nurma & Purnama, 2022).The aim is to educate the public scientifically in the field of Islamic science in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as providing secondary level education and teaching in accordance with Indonesian national culture.
Character education is an important element in the educational process, through character education educational institutions must strive to bring students to have noble character values such as respect and care for others, responsibility, honesty, integrity and discipline (Latifah, 2014).In higher education, lecturers have the main task in the educational process at higher education, namely conducting education and teaching, conducting research and serving the community.This indicates that the duties carried out by lecturers are very numerous and require great responsibility.
Apart from that, lecturers, whose role is very important in the educational process, are also expected to be able to internalize Islamic values or Islamic character, which of course can be one of the driving factors that make students have Islamic character.
Character education is a concept that is instilled into a person and can shape a person to be more polite, civilized, and physically and spiritually healthy, so that they will have a better character in their life (Choli, n.d.).
Developing student character through Islamic education does not only focus on academic aspects, but also on developing morals, ethics and spirituality.Lecturers as learning facilitators have an important role in creating a conducive environment for the development of students' Islamic character.Lecturers also need to apply learning methods that are in accordance with Islamic principles, such as providing role models and developing students' personalities.This research focuses more on the role of lecturers in forming students' Islamic character.There are of course many ways and methods that can be used by an educational institution to build character.In this research, we will explore the process of implementing Islamic character formation carried out by lecturers in the Islamic Education Management Study Program.This aims to dig deeper into the role of lecturers in forming students' Islamic character.Through this research, it is hoped that it can provide effective strategies and methods in integrating Islamic character values into students, as well as providing practical recommendations and suggestions for lecturers and Islamic education institutions in improving Islamic character-based education for students.(Sugiyono, 2021).With a descriptive approach, namely data collected in the form of words or images and not emphasizing numbers (Anggito & Setiawan, 2018).Data collection techniques in qualitative research are through interviews, observation and documentation (Annur, 2018).

RESEARCH METHODE
The aim of this research is to understand the phenomena experienced by research subjects such as behavior, perception, motivation, actions and so on comprehensively through verbal explanations in certain contexts.A variety of scientific methods are used to gain in-depth understanding and practice of research participants.
Participants in this research were lecturers who had teaching experience and several students who also had learning experience.The interview process will focus on the experiences, views of lecturers and students in the formation of Islamic character.Observations were carried out by directly observing the character of the students at Raden Fatah State Islamic University, Palembang.
Data analysis techniques in qualitative research are through the stages of data collection, data presentation, verification and drawing conclusions (Sugiyono, 2021).Data collected from interviews and observations will be analyzed using qualitative analysis.Interview transcripts and observation notes will be coded and grouped into emerging themes.Analysis was carried out using content analysis techniques to identify patterns, similarities and differences in views and practices in developing student character.
To find out the validity of the research data, the researcher used triangulation, which consists of time triangulation, method triangulation and source triangulation (Sugiyono, 2014).This data triangulation was to compare data from interviews with data from observation.Research reliability will be considered by using accurate interview recordings or transcripts and selecting representative participants.The limitations of this research are  235 the limited number of participants and research area, as well as the possibility of subjectivity bias in data interpretation.

RESULT AND ANALYSIS
Character can be formed and developed gradually through the educational process.Higher education continues this process of cultivation and is used as a formal educational environment.Character development in higher education is more than just lectures, unlike other courses or topics.Building character is a lifelong process that involves analyzing our moral fiber.Good character starts at an early age, continues through elementary school, higher education, and beyond, whenever that may be.(Alaren, 2017).Universities are scientific institutions that provide various study programs in addition to academic teaching in several scientific fields.Teaching has two goals for students: transferring information and equipping them with the academic and professional skills necessary to function as members of society.The aim of education is to create moral individuals.It is hoped that when students become proficient in science, morality will follow (Nurpratiwi, 2021).
Based on the results of an interview with one of the lecturers at UIN Raden Fatah Palembang, Islamic character must exist and be taught to students.Therefore, teachers play an important role in helping students develop their Islamic personality.Therefore, lecturers have the ability to awaken the hearts and eyes of their students in addition to imparting knowledge through the use of learning materials and by being Islamic role models.
Various topics need to be analyzed, including the nature of the role of lecturers, influencing factors, challenges faced, and solutions in forming students' Islamic character.This is based on the theory explained above as well as data resulting from interviews, observations of lecturers and students as research participants regarding the Important Role of Lecturers in Forming the Islamic Character of Students at UIN Raden Fatah Palembang.After that, the data will be analyzed methodically and gradually using qualitative descriptive techniques.

The Role of Lecturers in Forming the Islamic Character of UIN Raden Fatah Palembang Students
The role of lecturers in forming the Islamic character of UIN Raden Fatah Palembang students is related to their role in the campus environment as educators, teachers, trainers, mentors and evaluators of educational activities.A very influential role is observing students' behavioral patterns as they go about their daily lives on campus.
Based on the results of interviews with the Head of the MPI Study Program, as educators, lecturers have a very important role in the educational process or formation of Islamic character, especially in the MPI Study Program and UIN Raden Fatah in general.
He is responsible for the development of his students.Students who have Islamic character come from a strong academic culture that reflects their character lecturers.
An academic culture is needed from all levels of the UIN Raden Fatah academic community, starting from students, lecturers, staff, and others to mutually shape Islamic nuanced characters on the Islamic campus.In an effort to develop the culture and civilization of society, nation and state, the most important thing is awareness for each individual to develop their own values, morals and ethics.
Based on field observations, the diverse backgrounds and characters of students dominate the social dynamics on the UIN Raden Fatah campus.It is not uncommon for students to go to campus and just sit quietly listening to lecturers' explanations and then go home, not even understanding what they got from the educational process.In fact, higher education or universities are essentially fields where intellectual cadres are born.That's where the positive values of Islamic teachings can be optimized, and become an effort to build an academic culture that has an Islamic character so that it differentiates it from the character at other universities.
The primacy of Islamic character values is the main foundation for creating an academic culture.This academic culture should be owned by everyone who involves themselves in academic activities.A culture that must be inherent in all higher education academics, both students and lecturers.Not only that, Islamic universities are an intellectual treasure.Parents, society, nation and state certainly expect educational institutions to not only provide knowledge and skills to students, but also understanding and forming social skills or soft skills such as character, character, and behavior in everyday life.
Through the learning process to educate and control student behavior through examples of appropriate behavior and providing understanding of inappropriate behavior (Ibrahim, Nabila, et al., 2023).Thus, the good and bad behavior of members of the Islamic higher education academic community, UIN Raden Fatah Palembang can be seen when they interact while carrying out activities related to learning, in this case not only learning about the knowledge and skills stated in the RPS (Semester Learning Plan) , but also learning to form students' attitudes, character and beliefs so that lecturers need to deepen the entire learning process.
In this regard, lecturers who have an Islamic character within themselves will be role models for students in their daily lives on campus and in the community.As a lecturer with an Islamic character, there are qualities that must be possessed so that they can become a characteristic of a lecturer, namely having a clean aqidah, meaning being a person who understands the basic teachings of Islam and does not dare to deviate from the decrees of Allah SWT.
In Law Number 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers, it is said that teachers are professional educators with the main task of educating, teaching, guiding, directing, training, assessing and evaluating students (Napratilora et al., 2021).Having noble morals means being a person who has a good relationship with the creator and his creatures, having intelligent thinking means being a person who always thinks before making decisions.
 237 Having the nature of being good at keeping time means being a person who always uses time effectively and doesn't waste it, having order and discipline means being a professional person in a job, serious about carrying out his duties and lastly, being useful for other people means his existence other people can feel the benefits, becoming a figure who plays an important role in carrying out their duties.
Based on the characteristics above, learning activities should be able to actualize the ultimate hope of making students have a completely Islamic character, able to maintain and glorify Islamic values so that students with Islamic character can be born.Inseparable from the important role of a lecturer involved in the process of educating the nation's children, there are at least several roles of Lecturers at UIN Raden Fatah Palembang which the author can explain from the interpretation of interview data: a) As an Exemplary Model Character education involves aspects of knowledge (cognitive), feelings (moral feeling) and good behavior (moral action) (Saiful et al., 2022).Lecturers as good examples or role models for students mean that lecturers can influence students with the character they have in forming student role models by providing habits of attitude and behavior, namely; 1) Exemplary in communicating during presentations or discussions.Lecturers use polite language, train students to always express gratitude to Allah, and invite students to apply honesty in carrying out assignments and understand each other when the lecturer or their friends speak in public.2) Exemplary in action.Lecturers giving direct examples of their actions in their health on campus, obeying the rules, obeying worship, and obeying time can be a good example for students, so that when a student sees the good deeds of their lecturer, they will be influenced and can follow them.3) Exemplary in socializing.Lecturers embrace students to become Islamic entrepreneurs in the future, meaning that lecturers become examples of creativity, innovation, by preparing relationships with friends who take us on a straight and optimistic path in living life.

b) As an Inspirator and Motivator
The purpose of education is to educate the population of a country through the teaching and learning that occurs there.Leaders must be responsible for achieving the desired results in addition to functioning as a motivator for existing stakeholders (Setyaningsih et al., 2022).The figure who always inspires students is a lecturer who must have good characteristics and personality to be an inspiration in building student character.Having positive values and personality, which are in accordance with the personality of a Muslim, can be a source of enthusiasm through new ideas for students.Not only that, to raise students' enthusiasm for building Islamic character, strong encouragement is needed to build enthusiasm for learning and develop their potential as the learning process progresses.c) As Evaluator Two things that evaluators must pay attention to in this model are measurement and control variables (Zainuri et al., 2023) The vision and mission of UIN Raden Fatah must be lowered in the implementation process down to the level of each study program, so that the objectives of the vision with an Islamic character can be implemented well.
Programs held by the campus can also be a support in forming students' Islamic character, especially programs such as the Al-Qur'an tahfidz program, the Al-Qur'an Reading and Writing (BTA) learning improvement program, the Arabic Language Intensive program ( IBA) and many other programs which are expected to be able to make every student have an Islamic character and be proud of the Islamic souls they possess.

2) Understanding Islamic Values in Competence and Professionalism
Lecturers who understand Islamic values will be able to integrate these values with their morals in learning and guide their students well.After that, it is the competence and professionalism of lecturers to integrate Islamic values in learning by guiding students well to form Islamic character.Competent lecturers will have expertise in their field, be passionate about their profession, have pedagogical, personality, social and professional competence, as well as seriousness and sincerity in carrying out their duties, especially in internationalizing Islamic character to students.Professional lecturers are resistant to pressure from all parties, including those who have material or promotional commitments.The dignity of lecturers can be upheld by developing personal competence, providing more tools for oneself, and never acting, speaking or thinking negatively.During the teaching process, lecturers must realize that they are role models for their students.They should also engage with them so that they can set an example that other students can follow and benefit in the future.

3) Experience and Concern for Students
The next factor is experience and care, lecturers who have a wealth of experience in assisting students will be better able to understand and respond to the different needs and problems faced by each student.A lecturer's concern can be seen from the way they use subtlety of character and feelings so that they have a sense of empathy for their students, both when facing difficulties during lectures and when achieving their best achievements.As a lecturer, you can support and provide much needed attention to students in character development.With this experience and concern, lecturers can be good role models and provide effective guidance.

4) Supportive Learning Environment
A conducive learning environment, such as freedom to discuss and express opinions, as well as support from colleagues and management of educational institutions, can influence the role of lecturers in shaping student character.Lecturers can design learning methods that encourage active student participation, reflection, and internalization of Islamic values in everyday life.

5) Involvement in Student Activities
Then finally, there is the involvement of lecturers in student activities outside the classroom.Such as student organizations such as OMIK and UKMK, social activities, seminars or self-development programs, which of course will help strengthen the relationship between lecturers and students.This influences the role of lecturers in shaping student character, because lecturers will more easily understand the needs and potential of students to provide more personalized guidance.

Obstacle Factor
In forming students' Islamic character, it is not enough to just have a lecturer.Everything will not run smoothly without perceived obstacles.Various aspects are needed that hinder the formation of Islamic character, starting from lecturers and students themselves.
From the lecturers themselves, the thing that can hinder the process of forming Islamic character in their students is the low level of concern when teaching in class because lecturers often only focus on teaching learning material, and lack of time to instill positive values in their students so that the learning process is not uncommon.in class seems ineffective in helping students form their character.
Meanwhile, from the student side, many students are found who lack awareness of implementing Islamic values, for some reason due to a lack of education from their own parents and family environment and friends.This causes a low level of willingness to apply Islamic character and understand the characteristics of oneself as a Muslim.

The Impact of Lecturers in Forming the Islamic Character of UIN Raden Fatah Students
From the results of interviews and direct observations, the impact of the lecturer's role in the process of forming the Islamic character of UIN Raden Fatah Palembang students is very substantial.The following are some of the impacts resulting from the lecturer's role in the process of forming the Islamic character of UIN Raden Fatah Palembang students: a) Deep Understanding of Islam Educational reform is an important part of sustainable educational development, so that the aim of improving the entire education system can bring great benefits to the entire community and the entire country (Astuti, Ibrahim, et al., 2023) life.There is a lack of awareness because they are more focused on aspects of their lives which often ignore the importance of deepening religious knowledge.

Cultural influence
In overcoming emerging cultural influences, the role of the family as a forum for children to obtain education is first and foremost, and parents will be fathers and mothers as those responsible for the family (Wahid et al., 2020).Students are often exposed to secular culture and environments that do not always support religious practice.This can make it difficult for lecturers to form Islamic character in students.

Moral and ethical challenges
Students are often faced with situations that challenge morals and ethics, such as high academic pressure, the temptation to cheat, and promiscuity.Lecturers need to face this challenge and help students to remain firm in Islamic values.

Variations in levels of faith and understanding of religion
It cannot be denied that each student has a different level of faith and understanding of religion.Lecturers need to understand these differences and take the right approach to help each student in developing Islamic character.To overcome this challenge, lecturers can take several steps such as: a) Provide a close understanding of Islamic teachings and Islamic values to students.b) Create a learning environment that supports religious practices, such as providing prayer times and discussion space on Islamic topics.c) Building competent relationships between lecturers and students, so that students feel comfortable discussing religious and moral issues.d) Practice exemplary examples and practice through behavior and actions that are in harmony with Islamic values, for example faith and piety, sincerity and honesty, patience and calm, empathy and caring, discipline and responsibility, hard work and perseverance, and be humble and respectful of others.e) Encourage students to be involved in religious and social activities that can strengthen their Islamic character.

CONCLUSION
In the educational process, a person's character can grow and develop slowly.Of course, within the scope of Islamic higher education, the role of lecturers is very important in forming the Islamic character of UIN Raden Fatah Palembang students, including their role in the campus environment as educators, teachers, trainers, mentors and evaluators of educational activities.The most influential is his role in observing students' behavioral patterns in living their daily lives on campus.As an educator, a lecturer finds a very important position in the educational process or formation of Islamic character, especially in an Islamic campus environment.He must be responsible for the development of his students.Students who have a strong Islamic character reflect their lecturers who have an Islamic character.
This research discusses the role of lecturers in forming the Islamic character of UIN Raden Fatah Palembang students.In this research, the objects of research are lecturers and students of the 2022 Islamic Education Management Study Program (MPI) at the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training.Based on the research title, this research is included in qualitative research.Qualitative research is research used to research natural conditions . To find out to what extent Islamic character is formed, evaluation material is needed.Evaluation is carried out to provide strengthening, improvement, and measure the success of achieving Islamic character formation.Factors in the Role of Lecturers in Forming Students' Islamic Character Supporting factors 1) Campus Support and Policies The main determining factor that supports the role of lecturers in forming students' Isalmi character.In accordance with the vision of UIN Raden Fatah Palembang, namely "To become a University with International Standards, National Insight and Islamic Character".This vision becomes a motto that provides attention and support to the role of lecturers in shaping students' Islamic character, such as providing training and professional development, accommodating the time and resources needed, and implementing policies that support an Islamic learning environment, of course this will greatly influence effectiveness. the role of lecturers (UIN Raden Fatah Palembang, n.d.).
. In higher education, lecturers who have in-depth knowledge of Islam support students in understanding religion more comprehensively.They are able to provide accurate and in-depth teaching about Islamic teachings, its principles, and correct worship practices, helping students gain a strong understanding of Islamic values.b) Formation of Islamic Awareness and Pride Lecturers must also be able to help students build Islamic awareness and pride.By motivating and inspiring students to live an Islamic life full of confidence and pride.And lecturers also help students understand the importance of maintaining Islamic identity amidst the challenges of the modern era.c) Ethics and Moral Development Moral values education is education of noble values for individuals.Instilling knowledge of religious and moral values is an urgent provision for children (Nurma & Purnama, 2022).Lecturers have an important role in supporting students to acquire Islamic ethics and morals.As a lecturer, you can provide examples and role models in living a correct Islamic life by providing guidance and advice in dealing with complex moral situations, so that students are able to make decisions that are in harmony with religious values.d) Development of Islamic Life Skills Lecturers can help students develop Islamic living skills that are useful in everyday life, they provide guidance on how to carry out worship well, how to interact with fellow Muslims and non-Muslims with good morals, and how to face challenges and trials in life with an attitude.the Islamic one.e) Cultivating Religious Spirit Lecturers can foster religious enthusiasm in students.Of course, it inspires students to learn more about Islam, take part in religious activities on campus, and get involved in Islamic social activities.They also motivate students to become agents of positive change in society.
Iswandari, et al., 2023).Many students do not have an adequate understanding of Islamic teachings and lack concern for the application of Islamic values in everyday  241